Being born in the last quarter of the twentieth century my childhood days were simple than that of this present generation. There were no video games, shopping malls or cartoons to watch. I spent my childhood in the lap of mother nature hearing stories, folktales from my grandparents about 'their' land. To be very true, as a kid I did not understand what 'their' land meant.

'Their' land was very
fertile and full of flora and fauna. At dawn the first rays of sun
brightened the paddy fields to make it appear as a gold necklace. At
dusk as the sun fades into oblivion a reddish?pinkish shade covers
the blue sky popularly referred as 'rakto-sandhya'. And then one
day they left 'their' land and settled here. They would often
discuss about partition, riots, refugees and tears would roll down
from their eyes.

They had a long cherished
desire to visit 'their' land before they leave this world. To me
the rigmarole appeared very boring at times. As I grew up and read
Indian history I understood that partition lead to the birth of
India, West Pakistan (now Pakistan) and East Pakistan. In 1971, East
Pakistan became Bangladesh.

Fortnight
ago I got an opportunity to visit the Indo-Bangladesh border to speak
to women subordinate officers in Border Security Force (BSF), a
central paramilitary force under the Ministry of Home Affairs,
Government of India. Accompanied with a head constable Mr. D.K.
Mondol, I left for the Indo-Bangladesh border from the office of the
Additional Director General, Eastern Command, Kolkata
at quarter to nine.

Around 12 p.m. after three hours of journey by road I reached the
Border Out Post (henceforth BOP) at Haridaspur. But the journey was
neither tiring nor boring as Mr. Mondol told me 'true' but 'hard'
stories of the Indo-Pakistan Border in the states of Jammu
and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan
and Gujarat. He told me how gruesome it is to guard the borders along
the mountaneous terrain when the temperature 'dips' down to minus
fifteen degree centigrade.

How mother nature gets
wrapped in white snow... but as a BSF jawan their eyes are not to
view the 'beauty' of nature but to guard the mother nature- the
motherland. How late at night they would hear sound of gunshots and
take their proper position 'to fire'. They take shelters in
bunkers when grenades are thrown at the Indian side by our hostile neighbour.

Their life can end at any moment- each and every second of their life
they 'confront' death...but they remain firm in their motto to
guard and defend India- our motherland. He spoke of his experiences
in Special Protection Group, when he was deployed to protect Prime
Minister's residence. He and others who were part of Special
Protection Group would play badminton with Rahul
Gandhi. He had full sympathy for Rahul and Priyanka
Gandhi, who because of security concern had a caged childhood
even though the cage was made of gold.

After reaching BOP
Haridaspur , a senior officer welcomed me. As I entered the camp I
saw the main building. In between the main building and the male
jawan's barracks there is a huge playground where jawans play
football and volleyball. My accommodation was made at the A.C.
Conference hall building.

While
having lunch with the Commandant and other senior officers I learnt
that BSF officers in this region wear a batch of tigers (symbolizing
the royal Bengal tiger of this region), whereas in Rajasthan
the symbol is that of camel. It varies from state to state. After
having a quick lunch with the senior officers, I started interviewing
women personnel in BSF at the conference room.

These
women personnel were freshly recruited. They were young and
energetic. In the name tag their blood group has been mentioned, in
case of emergency. Few of them received training at Kharkhan camp of
BSF in Punjab
and others received training in Siliguri. Initially, coming from a
civilian background they found it difficult to adjust but with the
passage of time they adapted themselves in the training camp.

Apart
from indoor training where they learn laws, the outdoor training is
challenging since they have to do drill, P.T., rope climbing etc.
They learn to use pistols, sniper rifles, machine guns, handguns.
Even though the training was 'hard', physically strenuous, but at
the end of the day such training has made them firm, confident and
fearless.

Some of them came from
remote, conservative areas of Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, West Bengal.
Their parents have been supportive and have encouraged them to join
this male bastion. These women were proud of their uniform which gave
them 'power', 'authority' and made them 'different' from
any other civilian. They are being used for non-combat role. One of
them spoke of her experience of frisking woman and recovering gold
biscuits from a woman's knee-cap.

They have been involved
in recovery of fake currency, narcotics, smuggled goods and have
halted illegal immigrants to enter India. In this region smuggling of
goods, cows, narcotics and trafficking of women is rampant.
Terrorists use this as transit route to enter neighbouring countries
or flee away from India.

A few of these women
personnel are married with kids. A few of them have left their kids
with parents and in-laws in towns, villages and stay at barracks
where they share rooms with other women. Some of them live in family
quarters. In the evening around 4.45 p.m. I left with a senior
officer to visit the Petrapole - Benapole Indo - Bangladesh border. A
group of jawans were getting ready for the ceremonial occasion. Sonu
Nigam's song 'sandeshe aate hain' from the film 'Border'
mesmerized the environment and helped to evoke a nationalist spirit.

On the right hand side, at a distance two hoardings Union Republic of
India and People's
Republic of Bangladesh were separated from each other by a railway
line. I saw a Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) manning the Bangladesh
side of the border.

Exactly at 5 p.m. the Joint Retreat Ceremony
started. The Joint Retreat Ceremony was inaugurated on 6th November,
2013 by Dr. Muhiuddin Khan Alamgir, Home Minister, Govt. of People's
Republic of Bangladesh and Shri Sushilkumar Shinde, then Home
Minister, Government of India
in presence of senior bureaucrats from both the countries.

The parade here is not as
'aggressive' as compared to the Indo-Pakistan border at Wagah. On
both sides of the border, people watched the parade. After the
parade, the gates of both sides are closed till early morning next
day. During this time no human beings or goods can legally enter both
countries. On the other side, the frontier wall has pictures of
Bangabondhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. After the ceremonial parade was
over I saw the white line that demarcates the border in no man's
land.

I stood at the no man's
land viewing the land where my ancestors belonged. For few seconds a
strange emotional bond tied me with the land from where I trace my
biological roots. I felt like capturing the time and land in my hands
forever, knowing fairly well I have to leave this place within few
minutes. For the first time I realized what my grandparents meant and
felt when they would speak of 'partition'.

I realized what emotional
traumas my grandparent's generation suffered when they were
compelled to 'leave their land' forever and reside in the then
'alien land' where they were referred as 'refugee'. To leave
home, friends, job, the 'land' and 'identity' and to
re-establish their identity and niche in a new land requires a lot of
patience, mental strength and hard work. How 'dirty' politics of
colonial era fragmented such a beautiful evergreen landmass.

The Bangladeshis standing
on the other side appeared so familiar to us- yet we are different
countries with a different identity. It has been really wonderful to
reconnect with my past for few minutes and then to move forward
towards my next destination BOP Jayantipur under 40 BN (Battalion).

As I travelled the
Assistant Commandant briefed me with the rank structure of BSF. The
place is so beautiful. At the right side, the fencing has been
completed in a zig zag border. However in certain areas fencing has
not been completed due to disputes in the acquisition of land.
Leaving 150 metres from the fencing the Bangladeshi border starts. In
this BOP a separate barrack for women exists. At dusk I returned to
the Haridaspur camp.

Next day after having
breakfast, accompanied with an armed jawan I left for 152BN in a BSF
gypsy. As I travelled I saw the posts made of bamboo where an armed
BSF jawan stands alone confronts natural calamities, enemies,
terrorists, venomous snakes and at times other wild creatures. Women
are never posted alone, there are always in a group of two.

I passed through BOP
Gunarmath, Angrail, Bornberia, Jhowdanga, and saw the concrete posts
where the jawans stand at night with Hand Held Thermal Imager. I have
been told with this instrument clear night vigilance for around 1 to
1.5 kilometre can be maintained. The jawan pointed out the numbers
such as 17/ 167 R inscribed in small walls. It seems the jora sankha
(even numbers) post belongs to Bangladesh, whereas the odd numbers
belong to India (facts unverified).

While
we were travelling the jawans narrated their 'hard' life when
they were posted in Kashmir and Manipur. At times the platoon has to
remain in field at Jammu
and Kashmir border at a stretch for 72 hours with very limited
food and water. I just felt that we, the city dwellers enjoy all the
comforts of the city yet we yearn for more and more. But these jawans
have left their homes, families far behind, bravely confronting harsh
natural conditions, at times bullets for 'us'.

I asked one of the jawans
after such hard duty do you get time to sleep? He replied, "Madam
ji , ham nehi sote isiliye to aap log so sakte hain" ( madam, as we
don't sleep, you implying civilians can sleep). As we celebrate
67th Independence Day let us not forget the paramilitary and military
forces of our country who put their life in danger to protect our
motherland from external enemies.

Finally I reached BOP
Kalanchi where I met and interacted with twenty-one women constables
who shared their thrilling professional experiences with me. The
officer posted here showed me river Ichamati and the riverine border
along the land. Inside the BOP Kalanchi the jawans have made a
kitchen garden, poultry farm and a small pond exists where I saw
different types of fish. My eyes tried to capture all the greenery
all round. I had lunch with freshly caught 'hilsa' from the
Ichamati river inside the tent.

The visit to the Indo-Bangladesh border has been a wonderful learning
experience for a civilian like me. I met new people and made new
friends. I enjoyed each and every moment in the lap of nature with a
canopy of blue sky above. For a city dweller like me it has been a
welcome retreat from the usual hustle bustle of the city. With lots
of memories and beautiful scenic landscapes captured forever in my
eyes I returned from the Indo-Bangladesh border to Kolkata
by train.